Fabiana Kömmling Seixas (UFPel)
Professor at the Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil.
Lecture: Medical Biotechnology: research and development in cellular and molecular oncology.
Abstract: Cancer is a set of diseases of multifactorial origin caused by abnormal cell proliferation. Currently, cancer is among the main causes of morbidity and mortality, with an economic impact on the health system worldwide. Chemotherapy is the most used treatment in the fight against cancer, it acts non-selectively on neoplastic cells, reaching both tumor cells and normal cells, triggering adverse effects on the patient such as diarrhea, vomiting, dry skin, dehydration, myelosuppression, nephrotoxicity and cerebrovascular accidents. New therapeutic strategies have been investigated, such as the development of nanocarrier systems for drugs, the search for new natural drugs, the synthesis of synthetic compounds that become more selective and can be administered in low doses, reducing the side effects in patients as a result. Furthermore, in the therapeutic field, immunotherapy is effective in stimulating and activating the patient’s own immune system in the fight against tumor cells. Thus, we will discuss in this article the use of Mycobacterium bovis BCG in cancer immunotherapy, current advances in recombinant BCG construction, research, concerns, and future directions to promote the development of this promising immunotherapeutic approach for cancer.